Pardew said: "Any striker playing out there also has to occupy the opposition full back to stop him from attacking regularly. Goalscorers don't always like to do this, they see it as donkey work.

"Strikers are usually the biggest egos in your group. When I was at Newcastle I alternated between Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba through the middle, with the other playing wide. My argument was to give each their feed of playing in the premier role while also asking them to play the support."

Picture Supplied by Action Images

Cisse and Ba both had moments at Newcastle where they were prolific, particularly back in 2012.

The problem was that the pair never really hit it off as a partnership on a consistent basis, and Pardew's decision making could be a factor in that, with one asked to do the 'donkey work', rather than simply playing a 4-4-2 and letting them both do what they do best.

Demba Ba

Ba was sold to Chelsea where he struggled for regular game time, before moving to Turkish side Besiktas, and the 31-year-old is currently playing in the Chinese Super League with Shanghai Shenhua.

What do you think of Pardew's comments?

Dan Coombs

Dan Coombs is a writer who is keen to embrace the internet revolution. He first started writing for us in June 2011 and commenced his new role as Sports Editor in February 2012.
As a trained journalist he has met famous faces from Mr T to Boris Johnson. He once featured in an England World Cup music video too, but it did not make the charts.
He grew up wanting to be a Formula 1 driver, but it looks like this dream has passed him by. Instead, he hopes you enjoy reading his writing on our site, as we seek to debate the day's sporting hot topics.